As we near the end of the decade, Nikita Kucherov sits at 499 points ahead of Monday's matchup against the Florida Panthers, just one point shy of reaching the 500 milestone.
It cannot be understated how impressive Kucherov has been after being passed over 57 times during the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. It's not often when a 2nd round draft pick comes in and blows the doors off of the competition within his draft year, but Kucherov is definitely proving that his ceiling is a lot higher than scouts had originally thought.
Coming off of a banner 2018-19 season that saw Kucherov walk away with the Art Ross Trophy, Hart Memorial Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award after finishing with 128 points, his Tampa Bay Lightning floundered in the first round against the Columbus Blue Jackets, who swept the President's Trophy winners, despite being a massive underdog.
Kucherov is off to another fantastic start this season, boasting 37 points through just 33 games. If he can sneak his way onto the scoresheet tonight, Kucherov will be the first player from the 2011 draft class to reach 500 points.
Colorado Avalanche forward Gabriel Landeskog is 70 points behind him, with 429, while Calgary's Johnny Gaudreau - another low draft pick (104) that has found great success at the NHL level - is third on the list from 2011 with 416 points.
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